Chapter 549: Third Beauty

Shrouding the Heavens, Chapter 553: The Third Most Beautiful Woman

"Did I pass?" the barbarian, dressed in animal hides, asked ingenuously.

The powerful figure from the Qishi Mansion still had a spastic right hand. How could he not pass? Such an anomaly hadn't been seen in who knows how many years.

"You may enter."

"Alright!" The disheveled barbarian, swinging his wolf-tooth club, stomped through the mountain gate. With each step, the ground shook with a resounding thud, as if a giant dragon were moving, exerting immense, intimidating strength.

"It might really be that anomaly from the Eastern Wasteland. He obtained the Source Heavenly Master's inheritance and can alter his appearance, arriving in any guise," a faint voice whispered from the crowd, revealing this secret. The barbarian was instantly scrutinized by many eyes upon entering the mountain gate; numerous individuals labeled him as "possibly Ye Fan," naturally foreshadowing future troubles.

Five days later, the last "abnormal" individual arrived, injuring an elder guarding the mountain gate. He was exceptionally selected and granted entry into the Qishi Mansion.

"Using Sun and Moon Seals separately, he made an elder in the ninth stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm vomit blood with a single strike?!"

"Aren't those the seals Ye Fan used to use? Could he be here?"

This last anomaly was very mysterious; few were fortunate enough to witness the battle when he entered the Qishi Mansion, but everyone heard about it and speculated on his identity. The fact that he severely injured a powerful elder in the ninth stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm with just one blow left people marveling at what kind of superhuman existence he was! Everyone was stunned. The Qishi Mansion's selection of talents concluded here; no more individuals arrived, and everything had come to an end.

"Do you think that anomaly from the Eastern Wasteland actually came? I feel like that barbarian resembles him somewhat."

"It's hard to say. Maybe he snuck in, or perhaps he's still hiding in the Eastern Wasteland and hasn't arrived."

"I vaguely heard that the anomaly caused a great disaster and is likely fleeing the Eastern Wasteland to avoid trouble. Maybe he's among us."

People hadn't seen the Sacred Body, yet they discussed him constantly. He was the only figure who hadn't appeared but was continually mentioned. Among those present, several were suspected to be his true self, leading to occasional tests and subsequent disturbances.

For the past month, astonishing battle records had spread daily across the five great domains. Everyone in the world was paying attention, eager to know who would dominate all the talents and prove to be the strongest. After a month of fervent anticipation, the selection finally concluded. The world was shocked, realizing that the future would hold more than just a few anomalies; a fierce struggle between dragons and tigers was inevitable! Many looked forward to that day, hoping it would come soon, to witness the rise of invincible figures.

"Black Emperor, damn you!" Somewhere countless miles away, Ye Fan cursed, speechless as he gazed at the sky. He had been flying across the boundless grasslands for half a month but hadn't seen a single soul; it was incredibly desolate, with even birds being a rare sight. He had eaten rabbit meat for half a month and now felt nauseous at the sight of it. He cursed the Black Dog repeatedly, as the array platforms it carved were utterly preposterous; who knew how great the error margin was. Ye Fan strongly suspected he had been teleported to the Northern Plains; otherwise, how could there be such an endless, boundless grassland? This dog was too unreliable in its work; this time, its array patterns had finally teleported him astray, leaving him lost.

Ye Fan's veins throbbed on his forehead because he finally found a stone tablet in the grassland clearly inscribed with the words "Northern Plains," confirming his suspicion. He had intended to go to the Central Plains to find Pang Bo, but despite all his calculations, he never imagined the Black Dog's array patterns would be so outrageous. The deviation was no longer a few million miles; it was now measured in tens of millions of miles. After confirming his location, he stared blankly for a long time before finally taking out another array platform, preparing to traverse the void again. Otherwise, flying back would take at least a decade or more.

"Damn it, that dog infuriated me so much I made a mistake! I used the wrong array platform!" Ye Fan realized his error amidst his haste. He suddenly remembered that this array platform led to the Western Desert, but it had already been activated, and he had entered the void, unable to stop. "I don't want to go to the Western Desert to trace Shakyamuni's footsteps yet..."

The Buddhist forces in the Western Desert run deep, and with his current strength, it was not advisable to get involved too early; otherwise, it would likely lead to a fatal disaster. One must know that even Shakyamuni had become a taboo; heaven knew what secrets lay within. Rushing in to investigate might bring about calamity. In his plan, he was supposed to head to the Central Plains this time, cultivating while searching for Pang Bo, and then, once strong enough, both of them would go to Mount Sumeru.

*Whoosh!*

A flash of clear light, and he flew out of the void, arriving in the great world. Ahead, battle cries shook the heavens, and corpses piled up in a tragic scene. "Where is this? Am I in the Western Desert? Are these Buddhist soldiers fighting?" Ye Fan was astonished.

This was a massive battlefield. Endless beast riders charged, their spearheads gleaming, piercing through opponents' bodies, scattering sprays of blood, and carrying corpses far along. Further away, long blades slashed, their light like lightning; shouts and neighs filled the air, blood flowed like rivers, and dead bodies were everywhere as both sides engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

A majestic ancient city stood, but its walls were cracked and covered in bloodstains. In the sky, powerful cultivators constantly activated ancient treasures, bombarding the city. Although the city glowed, it could not withstand the attacks. Its protective light shield had already cracked and was on the verge of breaking.

*Boom!*

A great cauldron descended from the sky, shaking dozens of cultivators into pulp and sending Ye Fan flying, almost catching him in the blast. "How can there be such bloodshed and slaughter in a peaceful Buddhist land? This is a vast battlefield!" he marveled. Not only mortal soldiers but also many powerful cultivators participated in the battle, and the generals were unfathomably strong, fighting ceaselessly in the sky.

"Roar!" Beasts roared, tearing through the battlefield. The attacking side received powerful reinforcements. A group of cultivators riding exotic beasts charged like a flood, causing the city's protective light shield to quickly disintegrate and shatter.

*Boom!*

The entire battlefield shook. This was a terrifying charge, and the battle had reached its final critical moment, with both sides fighting fiercely.

"Cultivators participating in the battle—this is truly astonishing!" Ye Fan exclaimed. The destructive power was immense; such a battle involved a vast area. Even though it was cultivator against cultivator and mortal soldier against mortal soldier, the scene was extremely grand.

*Thump!*

In the sky, a great bell boomed, its sound waves like blades, spreading out. Not only were many cultivators in the air pulverized, but mortal soldiers on the ground also fell in droves.

*Bang!*

An ancient cauldron vibrated, resisting the great bell. Continuous clashes and attacks made the sky boil, and cultivators fell ceaselessly.

Mystic light flashed as someone sat cross-legged in the void, plucking zither strings, sweeping down on low-altitude cultivators. Ye Fan was also within the attack range as a ten-zhang long green light descended like a silk banner.

*Puff, puff...*

Some cultivators' heads were severed, blood flowing profusely, and corpses fell one after another.

*Pop!*

Ye Fan formed a seal to block and disperse the green light, which surprised the cultivator in the ninth stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm. He then plucked the zither strings, and hundreds of green lights fell together, like a curtain of rain.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, a loud roar came from the nearby ancient city; it had been completely breached, its light barrier collapsing, and a large section of the city wall crumbling.

"Kill! The city is broken! Capture Princess Yudie alive!"

"Don't let a single person escape! Use the Void Heaven Battle to trap them!"

"Kill! Spring and Autumn City has fallen! Capture Princess Yudie, one of the ten most beautiful women in the Central Plains! Reward of 500,000 Source!"

Battle cries shook the heavens. With the ancient city breached, the attacking side surged forward with overwhelming momentum, like wolves and tigers, seizing absolute control. The other side's army collapsed like a mountain, the routed troops fleeing like a tide. However, no one pursued them; instead, everyone focused on cornering the powerful cultivators. The strong individuals in the ninth transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm in the sky stopped dealing with Ye Fan and charged into the city to besiege the key figures. Everyone else also directed their various magical treasures there.

"Central Plains..." Ye Fan was dumbfounded. It wasn't the Western Desert, but the Central Plains. His veins throbbed again. That dead dog was too much! The array platform for the Central Plains had sent him to the Northern Plains, and after using the wrong platform, he thought he was heading to the Western Desert, only to end up in the Central Plains. "This dead dog is utterly unreliable!" By sheer coincidence, he had arrived in the Central Plains, which offered him some comfort, and he let out a long breath.

After realizing his location, Ye Fan turned and left, wanting to slip away from the battlefield amidst the chaos and avoid getting embroiled in such a large-scale war.

"Kill! Princess Yudie is breaking through! Quick, stop her! Don't let her escape!"

"Ah, the third most beautiful woman in the Central Plains! Whoever captures her can embrace her!" Someone shouted loudly, eliciting howls of excitement from a group of hot-blooded young cultivators.

"Charge! Capture Princess Yudie alive!"

The battlefield erupted in a frenzy. The pursuing cultivators fought with increasing ferocity, slaughtering enemies like cutting weeds, covered in blood, and rapidly closing in. Ye Fan looked back and realized he was caught in the crossfire. He had originally blended into the chaotic army, hoping to retreat quietly, but unexpectedly, Princess Yudie and her group broke through in his direction, with endless magical treasures from the pursuers behind them. He cursed silently, disregarding everything else, and immediately leaped into the air, flying away without further concealment.

"So fast! That's a big fish that slipped through the net! Don't let him escape!" Someone fixed their gaze on Ye Fan and issued that command.

"A powerful being is actually participating in the battle..." Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he accelerated.

"Princess, you go! I'll stop them!" an elder shouted, leading some people back to block the pursuers.

"None of you will escape! A grand array has been set up for a hundred li around, making it impossible to traverse the void!" a powerful being behind them said coldly.

A large number of exotic beasts trampled across the sky like a heavenly flood, carrying thousands of knights in pursuit, sweeping away all resistance. Ye Fan curled his lips; he had just traversed the void, and the so-called grand array couldn't stop the Black Emperor's Dao patterns, implying it wasn't impenetrable. However, he didn't dare to be careless, as there was a powerful being behind him, so he quickly fled using the Movement Symbol technique.

"Huh, something's wrong!" Ye Fan's heart was startled. Someone behind him was like a shadow, locking onto him. No matter how fast his Movement Symbol technique was, he couldn't shake them off. He looked back to see a girl with cloud-like black hair, bright white teeth, and a smile that could topple cities. She was dreamily beautiful, her clothes fluttering as she followed like a transcendent fairy treading on waves.

"You're using... a Lightning Talisman!" Ye Fan suddenly realized. Among the ancient divine talismans, there was a Lightning Talisman that only supreme sect masters could refine; once it locked onto someone, it matched their speed.

"Save me... you will be richly rewarded," the girl pleaded, her voice like a song and sob, her eyelashes long, her beautiful eyes misty, her red lips moist, and her teeth like jade. Ye Fan cursed his bad luck. Although she was an unparalleled beauty, she was a colossal problem, and he wished to avoid getting involved. However, the Lightning Talisman could not be broken for the time being; it seemed to be pulling him along with her.

"Kill! Don't let them escape! That's Princess Yudie, the Central Plains' third most beautiful woman!" The pursuers did not give up, their voices echoing from afar, while the terrifying fluctuations of powerful beings clashing shook the ground violently. Two ancient nations were at war, with significant impact. Ye Fan did not want to get involved; this was just one battlefield, and who knew what greater upheavals would occur in the future.

"Take me with you, and I'll give you an ancient scripture!" Princess Yudie, the Central Plains' third most beautiful woman, transmitted her voice, as melodious as a Celestial Maiden playing immortal music.